Latest news with #terroristattacks


Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel sharpens UAE travel warning for citizens, cites ‘terrorist' threat
Israel's National Security Council (NSC) has sharpened its travel warnings for Israelis visiting and staying in the United Arab Emirates, citing a heightened risk of 'terrorist organisations' carrying out attacks in the Gulf State. In a statement published on Thursday, the NSC cited a growing threat from 'terrorist organisations (The Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah and Global Jihad)' attacking Israeli targets, motivated by Israel's military operations in the Middle East. 'They are driven by heightened motivation to exact revenge following Operation Rising Lion, in addition to the anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian incitement which has intensified since the start of Operation Iron Swords, and even more so in response to Hamas' starvation campaign,' it said, using the names for its military assaults on Iran and Gaza. Israel is facing mounting international pressure over Gaza's ongoing starvation crisis, caused by the Israeli military's months-long blockade on aid entering the Palestinian enclave. In 2020, the UAE became the most prominent Arab state in 30 years to establish formal ties with Israel under a United States-brokered agreement dubbed the Abraham Accords. The country's Israeli and Jewish community has grown larger and more visible in the years since the accords were signed. But the NSC statement said 'past experience' has taught Israel that 'terrorist organisations often focus their efforts in neighbouring countries'. 'In light of this, the NSC is reiterating the possibility that they will try to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the UAE, especially on Jewish holidays and Shabbat,' it added. The NSC's travel alert for the UAE – which remains unchanged at level 3 – strongly advises against non-essential travel and urges Israeli citizens to 'seriously reconsider' visiting the Gulf state. While the UAE is viewed as one of the safest places in the Middle East, three people were sentenced to death there in March for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi. The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court ruled that the November killing of 28-year-old Zvi Kogan – a representative of Orthodox Jewish organisation Chabad in the UAE – was committed by the defendants in pursuance of a 'terrorist purpose'.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Veteran Arab affairs commentator Ehud Yaari reveals he had indirect contact with Yahya Sinwar
'Sinwar saw himself as a rabbi-like figure," according to Yaari. "Someone deeply knowledgeable about Israeli affairs." Veteran Arab affairs commentator Ehud Yaari recently disclosed that he maintained indirect contact with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the man widely regarded as the architect of the October 7 terrorist attacks, in an interview on Nadav Perry's podcast in early July. Yaari explained that the correspondence began after the outbreak of the war and was facilitated through a mediator who identified himself as a member of the organization. 'Sinwar saw himself as a rabbi-like figure," according to Yaari. "Someone deeply knowledgeable about Israeli affairs. He learned Hebrew, read books about Zionism, Ben-Gurion, Herzl – everything you can imagine. He believed he had successfully identified Israel's weak points.' Yaari emphasized that the correspondence was neither daily nor regular, but rather took place sporadically. He said the initiative originated from Sinwar himself, who reached out through a third-party affiliate of Hamas. 'He didn't give me scoops or tell me things I didn't already know, but it was important to him to convey messages,' he explained. Sinwar wanted to convey Hamas's 'sense of despair' One of the central messages Sinwar wanted to deliver was Hamas's sense of despair, according to Yaari: 'His approach was – we have nothing to lose. That was his exact phrasing: 'We have nothing to lose, and that's why we did what we did.'' Sinwar was killed in October of last year after months of pursuit. For a long period, he managed to evade Israel's and its allies' technological and intelligence capabilities by relying on primitive, untraceable means of communication and placing his trust only in his closest associates. Sinwar controlled an extensive network of underground tunnels that served as command centers and hiding places. Despite offers from Arab mediators to help him escape in exchange for agreeing to release hostages, Sinwar rejected them. He clung to the hope that the confrontation he had ignited would draw Iran and Hezbollah into a regional war against Israel. Solve the daily Crossword


Russia Today
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
More Ukrainian drones target Moscow in renewed raid
Russia's air defenses destroyed dozens of incoming Ukrainian drones over multiple regions on Friday night, the country's Defense Ministry said, while Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported additional 12 interceptions overnight. Ukraine has been conducting UAV raids deep into Russian territory for months, often striking residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. The Russian government describes Ukraine's strikes as 'terrorist attacks' deliberately targeting civilians. The ministry said the intercepts occurred across several areas, including the Bryansk, Oryol, Kaluga, Rostov, Tula, Kursk, Smolensk, Voronezh, and Moscow regions, with a total of 87 hostile targets downed between 6:15 pm and 11:05 pm Friday. The drone raid continued into the night, with Sobyanin reporting at least 12 more interceptions of drones en route to Moscow after midnight, as of 1:40 am Saturday. There were no reports of casualties or damage, with emergency crews responding to the crash sites, according to the official. Kiev has intensified attempted drone attacks on Moscow over the past week, according to Sobyanin, who has been reporting similar incidents since Wednesday. Last month, Sobyanin told reporters that the city's air defense system operates at the 'highest level,' intercepting 99.9% of targets. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier emphasized that Russia employs layered air defense systems to minimize the threat posed by drone attacks.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hamas uses Gaza's rubble as a tactical advantage against the IDF
Hamas apparently believes that the IDF views ruined areas as secure. As such, it thinks that it can move more freely in these areas. Recent terrorist attacks in Gaza against IDF forces have revealed that Hamas and other groups in Gaza are exploiting the landscape to carry out attacks. What this means is that Hamas may view Israel's continued destruction of urban areas as a possible opportunity to exploit. Throughout the war, many Gazan neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. In some cases whole towns have been razed. The policy of razing areas has been articulated in the media and among voices in politics in Israel. Most buildings in Gaza are presented as acceptable targets because terrorists could use them. It is also believed that many buildings conceal tunnels or tunnel shafts and entrances. The theory is that if you destroy the building, the enemy can't use it. However, Hamas appears to be shifting tactics to take advantage of the ruins. In Khan Yunis, Beit Hanun, and other places this appears to be the tactic. Its terrorists can hide in the ruins of buildings and move from one place to another. The group apparently believes that the IDF views ruined areas as secure. As such, it thinks that it can move more freely in these areas. It knows that the IDF has entered and claimed to have cleared many urban areas, such as Jabaliya in Gaza. It always returns to these areas afterward. Hamas has another reason for using the rubble. The terror organization controls the central camps and Gaza City and it knows that the IDF is reluctant to enter those areas. That is apparently where the terror group is holding the 50 hostages. At the very least, Hamas knows that Israel is afraid that could be the case. Thus, the group feels relatively secure in 30% of Gaza. Hamas terrorists can then infiltrate the other 60-70% percent and wait for targets of opportunity to appear. A recent report indicated that this is what Hamas and other groups are doing. They send cells back into the rubble and wait. They wait for an IDF armored vehicle to appear; or to identify a road that the IDF is using. The deadly attacks in Beit Hanun and Khan Yunis in the first weeks of July illustrate the new Hamas tactic. This must lead to a question about whether the policy of destroying buildings in Gaza is effective. It is possible that this policy has diminishing returns. It's not clear what percentage of Gaza has been reduced to ruins, but it appears that a large part of the areas where the IDF operates, comprising 60-70% percent of Gaza, has been badly damaged. Areas near the Israeli border are earmarked for a future buffer zone. Beit Hanun is apparently one of those areas. However, it appears that dozens of terrorists are still hiding there. The IDF has gone in now to clear them out. Will this work this time? Will the same clearing work this time in Jabaliya, Sheijaya, and Zeitoun in northern Gaza? Hamas has been able to tie down several IDF divisions for 645 days of war. Now, it appears to be adapting to the new situation. The question is whether the IDF is also adapting. The incidents in Khan Yunis and Beit Hanun illustrate that Hamas tactics should be examined and studied. The rubble across most of Gaza could become a threat just as deadly as terrorists hiding in civilian homes and schools.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Appellate court okays cancellation of 9/11 plotters' plea deals
July 12 (UPI) -- A divided federal appellate court panel canceled plea deals for three defendants who are accused to plotting the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed 2,976 in 2001. A three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed by a 2-1 decision that former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin legally rescinded existing plea deals with the three defendants. The defendants include alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, NPR reported on Friday. The three defendants are being held at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where a military court last summer announced the plea deals last summer. Austin withdrew the plea agreements two days later, which raised the question of whether or not he had the authority to do so. The plea agreement would have spared the three men from execution and instead would have sentenced each to life in prison. Austin wanted the case to continue with a trial that included the potential for the death penalty. The cases against the three men have been ongoing for more than 20 years amid a slew of pretrial hearings. Military prosecutors determined a plea deal was the best way to resolve the matter. A U.S. military court had okayed the plea agreements, and defense attorneys argued Austin lacked the authority to negate them because he didn't like the terms. The federal appellate court on Friday ruled Austin had the authority to terminate the plea agreements. Defense attorneys have the option of appealing the decision to a full panel of the federal appellate court in the nation's capital or the Supreme Court.